On Jan. 9 the Bank of Ruston presented Dr. Edwin Davis with a pure sterling silver bar to help him implement Buddy Ball, a special needs athletic league, for area parishes.
Davis is a well-known citizen in the Ruston community and bank employees were more than happy to assist him with raising money for his project, Angie Biscomb, community engagement officer, said.

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Sometimes, parents might not have time or take the time to really listen to their children.
Judy Crow, a registered play therapist-supervisor at the Family Counseling Center, points out that when there are open lines of communication, it enriches the relationship and benefits the whole family.
“Children need to be heard and believed,” Crow said. “If parents won’t listen, then a child becomes discouraged and in teenage years may well turn to peers and others to fill that gap.”

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Speaking to scores of people in Farmerville’s Willie Davis Jr. Recreation Center, Grambling State University President Frank G. Pogue said, “We can’t live in the past, but we must never forget the past.”
“See all Americans, especially our young ones, need to walk through our political, social and economic experiences so they can understand what our race was facing,” said Pogue, the keynote speaker at Union Parish’s first celebration in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Saturday as he shared personal experiences from his youth and college years at Alabama State University.

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A coffee was held at the home of Billie Dawkins from 3 p.m. -5 p.m. Jan. 12 honoring Marion Duggan for more than 50 years as a hair dresser. Coffee and refreshments were served by hostesses Shirely Barron, Rita Belding, Billie Dawkins, Linda Graham, Margaret Ann James and Joan Moncrief. A proclamation that was signed and given to the honoree was read for those in attendance.

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Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part column on stalking. The first portion ran in the Jan. 14 edition.
Can you imagine worrying for over five years about someone who cannot take no for an answer, who tracks and follows you like an animal, whose behavior is unpredictable and frightening, and whose methods escalate over time? Can you imagine being the parent, sibling or friend of someone who is being terrorized in this way?

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PAWS of Northeast Louisiana will host the seventh annual 2013 Krewe of PAWS Mardi Gras Pet Parade in West Monroe’s Antique Alley on Feb. 2.
The Krewe of PAWS Mardi Gras Pet Parade is the only parade in Northeast Louisiana that is meant to “go to the dogs” and other pets. Area residents are asked to visit Commerce Street as registration and children’s games start at 11 a.m., contests for best (pet) costumes and floats start at noon, parade line-up starts at 1 p.m. and the parade rolls at 1:30 p.m. Special guests include the King and Queen of the Krewe of Janus and local celebrity judges.

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Today, as a nation we honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Coincidentally, also as a nation, we will witness President Barack Obama, the first United States African-American president, take the oath of office for his second term. Apparently, King’s dream, if not completely, has mostly come to fruition.

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The other day I received some surprising news. It was neither bad nor good, or a little bit of both depending on how you look at things. The news mostly dealt with change, and being of the human species, I immediately began to ponder how this change would affect me.
Of course, I did give a fleeting moment of concern on how this change would affect others, but only briefly. I wasn’t distraught or consumed by worry, just a little rattled. And then, with one phone call, all of my issues and imaginary problems were put in perspective.

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Kyle Williams will be spending the latter part of this month in Hawaii.
Vacation time?
Nope, it’s Pro Bowl time.
For the second time in his National Football League career, Williams has been selected to play in the National Football League’s annual all-star postseason contest.
It is yet another entry to an amazing resume for a guy who was once considered a “borderline” prospect to last more than a couple of years in the league.

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